Lap guide for picking machines



April 11, 1967 o. u. MOON 3,313,005

LAP GUIDE FOR PICKING MACHINES Filed Oct. 28, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR.

OSCAR U. MOON g ATTORNEYS April 11, 1967 o; u. MOON 3,313,005

LAB GUIDE FOR PICKING MACHINES Filed Oct. 28, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. O SC A R U MOON J QW W ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,313,005 LAP GUIDE FOR PHCKING MACHINES Gscar U. Moon, Lanett, Ala., assignor to The Tillery Metal Products Company, Inc., West Point, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Filed Get. 28, 1963, Ser'. No. 319,146 3 Claims. (Cl. 19-89) This inventon relates to fiber processing equipment, and is more particularly concerned with a guide for the lap as formed by a picking machine.

In the processing of cotton or other textile fibers, the fibers are cleaned and formed into a mat, or lap, by a picker. This lap is then run through a carding machine for further cleaning and for combing the fibers.

The lap formed by conventional pickers has very loose and ragged edges. In transporting the lap from the picker to the card, fibers from the edges of the lap fall off, thus becoming waste. Further, the lap is normally made the same width as the carding machine. When run through a carding machine, the lap spreads out due to the carding action, thus extending outside the machine. The fibers that go past the drum of the machine are blown out tobecome waste. This is known as blow out.

Previous attempts to reduce the waste in this process have included the use of means to fold over the edge of the lap. Though this narrows the lap, the edges of the lap are so thick that they immediately spread out and give about the same amount of blow out as if the lap were the usual width.

The device of the present invention is used on the picker to narrow the lap before the lap goes into the calender rolls. The device gives firm edges to the lap and makes the lap somewhat narrower than usual. The firm edges prevent fibers from dropping oil? the lap during storage and transporting; and, the narrow lap provides suflicient spreading room to reduce blow out in the carding machine.

In general terms, the device of the present invention comprises a pair of plates mounted on the usual walls of the platform which carries the lap to the calender rolls. The plates act as extensions of the existing walls, and have their ends formed to match the curvature of the calender rolls. This configuration allows the plates to be very close to the rolls so that fibers are held until they are between the calender rolls. The plates converge in the direction of flow of the material to narrow the passageway as the lap enters the calender rolls.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a lap which is formed narrower than the conventional lap and is of uniform thickness and density throughout its width.

Another object of the invention is to provide guides for a picker which will guide the lap as it enters the calender rolls, and prevent spreading of the fibers.

A further object of the present invention is to provide guides for a picker which are inexpensive to manufacture, quick and simple to install, and very efiicient in operation.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from consideration of the following specification when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a partial, longitudinal cross sectional view of a cotton picker having the guides of the present invention installed thereon.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the front portion of a cotton picker having the guides of the present invention installed thereon.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of one of the guides of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the guide shown in FIG. 3.

3,313,995 Patented Apr. 11, 1967 Referring now in detail to the embodiment chosen for the purpose of illustrating the present invention, it being understood that in its broader aspects the present invention is not limited to the exact details herein depicted, FIG. 1 shows a conventional cotton picker. The collector drum (not shown) of the cotton picker collects the fibers, as is well known, and feeds these fibers to a pair of opposed feed rollers 11. The opposed rollers 11 are mounted one above the other and are provided with horizontal parallel axes, The rollers 11, in turn, feed the fibers, as a lap 50 along a predetermined, relatively horizontal path defined by a trough having a base plate 12 and a pair of opposed, upstanding parallel, side walls 13 and 14, the side walls 13 and 14 extending upwardly from the opposite parallel edges of base plate 12. The inner ends 8 and 9 respectively of sidewalls 13 and 14 terminate in spaced relationship to a pair of calender rolls 15 and 16.

In the conventional cotton picker of FIG. 1, the calender rolls 15 and 16 are disposed one above the other with their peripheries axially abutting along a vertical plane 19 including the axes 17 and 18 of the rolls 15 and 16. The axis 17 of roll 15 is parallel to the axes 18. In like manner the calender roll 19 is disposed below the roll 16 while a calender roll 20 is disposed below the roll 19. In addition, there are rolls 21 and 22 disposed in side by side relationship with the roll 20.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the roll 15 is rotated in a clockwise direction while the roll 16 is rotated counter-clockwise, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1. Furthermore, the roll 19 is rotated in a clockwise direction while the roll 20 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction. Rolls 21 and 22 are rotated in a counter-clockwise direction and roll 23 is rotated clockwise, all as indicated by arrows in FIG. 1. The incoming lap 50 passes between the calender rolls 15 and 16 and across the periphery of roll 16, passing downwardly and then between the rolls 16 and '19. Thence,

the lap 50 passes around the outer portion of roll 19 and between the rolls 19 and 20. The lap thus formed then goes across the roll 21, passing around the roll 22 and is wound up on the pin or rod 23.

The intent and purpose of the plate 12 and side Walls 13 and 14 is to provide a passageway for the incoming lap 50 so that the lap 50 is fed between the abutting peripheries of the rolls 15 and 16, the side walls 13 and 14 holding the loose fibers sufiiciently to direct them through the calender rolls 15 and 16. After the lap 50 has passed between the rolls 15 and 16, the fibers are packed tightly enough together so that the lap can complete its path as hereinbefore described.

The above is well known in the art and should be understood without further description.

It will be noticed in FIGS. 1 and 2 that the side walls 13 and 14 terminate before reaching the calender rolls 15 and 16. Since the fibers at this point are quite loosely packed, even in the relatively short distance between the ends 8 and 9 and the calender rolls 15' and 16, the edge fibers can spread out, giving very rough and ragged edges to the lap 50. When these ragged edges are passed through the calender rolls 15 and 16, they provide edge portions that are only slightly held to the lap 50. In the prior art devices, these edge portions would be lost at the picker, in transportation, or in the carding machine.

According to the present invention, the ragged edges of the lap 50 are eliminated by providing a pair of guides 30 and 31, respectively, on the end portions of the side walls 13 and 14-. The guides 30 and 31 thus close the gap between the side walls 13 and 14 and the rolls 15 and 16 and function to progressively narrow the lap 50 as it enters between the rolls 15 and 16, thereby urging the loose edge fibers of the lap 50 into the lap itself, to retard the likelihood that these loosefibers will be lost.

Since guide 30 is complementary with respect to the guide 31, I shall describe in detail only the guide 30.

In FIGS. 3 and 4 it is seen that the guide 30 is a generally rectangular member having straight, paraLllel upper and lower edges 32 and 33 and a straight back edge 34 generally perpendicular to the edges 32 and 33. Along the inner surface of guide 30, the rear edge portion, adjacent edge 34, is beveled to provide a rear lap directing surface 35 which converges the edge of lap 50 inwardly from the inner surface of side wall 13 to the inner surface of the guide 30.

Intermediate the upper edge 32 and lower edge 33 are a pair of parallel vertically spaced, open ended slots 36 and 37 which extend inwardly from rear edge 34, parallel to the edges 32 and 33 and terminate in rounded ends.

At its central portion, the guide 30 is bent to separate the guide 30 into a flat mounting plate 38 and a flap lap directing flange 39 joined together along the bent portion which defines a common edge 40 generally parallel to the rear edge 34 and perpendicular to the edges 32 and 33. The common edge 40 constitutes the front edge of the mount plate 38 and the rear edge of the flange 39.

The front edges of the guide 30, i.e., of the lap directing flange 39, is irregularly shaped to conform generally to the shape of the rolls and 16, respectively. In more detail, from the end of the upper edge 32, the front edge extends generally in an outwardly and downwardly direction to define a straight intermediate edge portion 41 disposed at an obtuse angle with respect to edge 32. At the lower end of edge 41, the front edge extends downward-1y and outwardly in an arcuate path to define an upper concave arcuate edge 42 for abutting roll 15. The lower end portion of edge 42 meets a lower concave arcuate edge 43 to define forwardly projecting finger or cusp 44. The lower end of lower arcuate edge 43 terminates at the inner end of lower edge 33.

The guide 30 is of slightly less height, i.e., distance from lower edge 33 to upper edge 32 than the height, i.e., distance from the upper surface of plate 12 to the upper edge of side wall 13 and is mounted on the inner surface of side wall 13 by bolts 45 and 46 which project respectively through the slots 36 and 37 and are threadably received by side wall 13. By loosening bolts 45 and 46 the guide 30 may be moved forwardly or rearwardly, as desired.

With the guide 30 positioned properly, the bolts 45 and 46 are tightened so that the outer surface of the mounting plate 38 is flat against, or contiguous with, the inner surface of the side wall 13 while the lap directing flange 39 diverges inwardly and forwardly from the plane of the inner surface of side wall 13, as seen in FIG. 2.

The arrangement is such that the cusp 44 of the lap directing flange 39 is disposed between the rolls 15 and 16, the edges 42 and 43 converging to a tangent at the cusp 44 so as to conform to the curvature of rolls 15 and 16, respectively. The common tangent line 47 of edges 42 and 43, which essentially bisects the cusp 44, is disposed perpendicular to the vertical plane 19'. It willbe understood that the plane of side wall 13 is perpendicular to the axes 17 and 18 and that the lap directing flange 30 and the plane of the side wall 13 subtend an angle of from approximately 1 to approximately 6, preferably about 3 therefore, the curvatures of the edges 42 and 43 should be, theoretically, elliptical so as to be essentially concentric with the peripheries of rolls 15 and 16, however, since the angle subtended is very small, the elliptical surfaces of edges 42 and 43 are in reality essentially circular.

It will be understood that guide 31 is mounted in identical fashion to provide a forwardly and inwardly protruding lap directing flange, similar to flange 39. The cusps of guide 31, such :as cusp 44, converges forwardly to reduce the effective width of the troughlike channel or passageway (i.e., the distance between side walls 13 and 14 which is normally approximately 40 inches) to epproximately 39 inches, each flange, such as flange 39, being offset with respect to its associated side wall 13 or 14 by approximately /2 inch. This, in turn, causes the width of the resulting lap 50, as it enters between the rolls 15 and 16, to be reduced to approximately 39 inches.

Between approximately /2 inch and approximately two inches reduction in width of the lap 50, immediately prior to its entry between rolls 15' and 16 is sufiicient to direct substantailly all the ragged edge portions, or loose fibers along the edge positions of lap 50, inwardly into the remaining portion of the lap 50 and thereby avoid loss of the fibers. Hence, the forward-most end of the cusp 44 of the lap directing flange should be offset from the plane of the outer surface of the mount plate 38 by approximately one-fourth inch to one inch and preferably by one-half inch.

The purpose of the particular shape of the guides 30 and 31 is to allow them to be mounted as close as possible to the calender rolls 15 and 16. The ideal would be to have the guides touching the rolls; however, the consequent scraping would be undesirable. I have found that for best results edges 42 and 43 of the guides 30 and 31 should be placed in close proximity to the rolls 15 and 16, about .003 from the calender rolls 14 and 15 for efficent'use of the guides 30 and 31. Any smaller dimension would permit the guides 30 and 31 to operate at least as well; but, closer tolerances would be required, which would increase the cost of making and installing the guides 30 and 31. On the other hand, .003" is close enough to the calender rolls 15 and 16 for the guides 30 and 31 to give good results, and is relatively easy to accomplish without undue hardship.

In operation, the guides 30 and 31 are attached to the inner surfaces of walls 13 and 14, respectively, by bolts 45, 46 or the like. The lap directing flange 39 of each guide is placed close to the calender rolls 15 and 16, with the cusps 44 thereof projecting between the two rolls. The calender rolls 14 and 15 are normally touching each other, being spring urged together so the cusps 44 cannot be at the tangent point, but it should be quite close, the object being to guide the fibers as far into the calender rolls 15 and 16 as is possible.

The opposed lap directing flanges 39 of the guides 30 and 31 are offset inwardly of the machine so that the passageway for the fibers is narrowed, making a slightly narrowed lap, as shown in FIG. 2.

The cusps 44 project far enough between the calender rolls 15 and 16 that the fibers cannot spread out before being compressed by the rolls,- thus giving relatively smooth, firm edges to the lap.

The guides 30 and 31 of course compress the outside edges of the lap in axial directions with respect to rolls 15 and 16 and toward the axis of the trough as it enters the calender rolls 15 and 16; however, after the edges are compressed, the lap passes normally, three times between calender rolls. With this amount of calendering, the extra thickness which is formed on the edges of the lap is spread throughout the width of the lap.

It will thus be seen that the lap formed by the picker is narrower than the conventional lap, and has firm edges. In transporting the'lap, there are no loose edges to fall off; and, in the carding machine, there is sufficient space at the edges of the lap for some spreading without spreading beyond the edges of the drum of the carding machine. This narrow width will prevent approximately of the blow out in the card, in addition to the saving due to almost no loss in transporting the lap.

It will be understood that the device here presented is by way of illustration only, and is meant to be in no way restrictive; therefore, numerous changes and modifications may be made, and the full use of equivalents resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1, In a picking machine of the class having a lap trough along which a lap is fed to a pair of opposed calender rolls, a pair of opposed complementary lap guides secured to the opposite side walls of said trough, each lap guide including a flat mounting plate and a flat lap directing flange integrally joined together alonga common edge defining the front edge of said mounting plate and the rear edge of said lap directing flange, said lap directing flange being angled slightly with respect to said mounting plate, said mounting plate being provided with means for adjustably securing said mounting plate to the inside surface of a side wall of said trough, said means permitting said mounting plate to be adjustably positioned in various positions along said side wall, said mounting plate being provided with a rear edge approximately parallel to said common edge, the inner surface of said mounting plate adjacent said rear edge being beveled for directing the edge of said lap inwardly of said trough and toward the inner surface of said mounting plate when the edge of said lap passes thereby, said lap directing flange being constructed and arranged to project beyond the end of said side wall of said trough and being adapted to direct said edge of said lap inwardly axially of said calender rolls as said lap approaches said calender rolls, said lap directing flange having a pair of arcuate concave front edges one above the other which approach each other toward the forwardmost portion of said lap directing flange, said front edges becoming approximately tangential at the forwardmost end of said lap directing flange, one of said front edges having a curvature to abut the periphery of one of said calender rolls, the other of said front edges having a curvature to abut the periphery of the other of said calender rolls.

2. A lap guide for a picking machine of the class having a lap trough along which a lap is fed to a pair of opposed calendar rolls, said lap guide comprising flat mounting plates adjacent the edges of said lap, each mounting plate having a flat lap directing flange integrally joined thereto along a common edge defining the front edge of said mounting plate and the rear edge of said lap directing flange, said lap directing flanges being angled slightly with respect to said mounting plates, said mounting plates being provided with means for adjustably securing said mounting plates to the inside surface of the side walls of said trough, said means permitting said mounting plates to be adjustably positioned into various positions along said side walls, said lap directing flanges being constructed and arranged to project along the end of said walls of said trough and being adapted to direct said edges of said lap laterally inwardly of the axis of said trough when said lap passes thereby while maintaining a single layer of said lap, each of said lap directing flanges having a pair of arcuate concave front edges, one above the other, which approach each other toward the forwardmost portion of said lap directing flange and form a cusp, one of said front edges having a curvature corresponding to the periphery of one of said calender rolls and lying closely adjacent thereto, the other front edge having a curvature corresponding to the periphery of the other of said calender rolls and lying closely adjacent thereto.

3. A lap guide for a picking machine of the class having a lap trough along which a lap is fed to a pair of opposed calender rolls, said lap guide comprising flat mounting plates adjacent each edge of said lap, each mounting plate having a flat lap directing flange integrally joined thereto along a common edge defining the front edge of said mounting plate and the rear edge of said lap directing flange, said lap directing flanges being angled slightly with respect to said mounting plates, said mounting plates being provided with means for adjustably securing said mounting plates to the inside surface of the side walls of said trough, said means permitting said mounting plates to be adjustably positioned in various positions along said side walls, said mounting plates being provided with a rear edge approximately parallel to said common edge, the inner surface of said mounting plates adjacent said rear edges being beveled for directing the edges of said lap inwardly of said trough and toward the inner surface of said mounting plates when the edges of said lap pass thereby, said lap directing flanges being constructed and arranged to project along the ends of said side walls of said trough and being adapted to direct said edges of said lap inwardly of the axis of said trough when said lap passes thereby, said lap directing flanges having a pair of arcuate concave front edges one above the other which approach each other toward the forwardmost portion of said lap directing flanges, said front edges becoming approximately tangential at the forwardmost end of said lap directing flanges, one of said front edges having a curvature to abut the periphery of one of said calender rolls, the other of said front edges having a curvature to abut the periphery of the other of saidcalender rolls, the forwardmost ends of said lap directing flanges being offset from the plane of the outer surface of said mounting plates by between one-fourth inch to approximately one inch.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 7,533 7/1850 Rider 19-161 512,443 1/ 1894 Kershaw 19-163 1,118,305 11/1914 OConnell 242-551 X 1,551,865 9/1925 Brandwood et a1 281 2,206,297 7/ 1940 Curley et a1. 19-89 2,544,965 3/1951 Rogers 1989 X ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner. 

2. A LAP GUIDE FOR A PICKING MACHINE OF THE CLASS HAVING A LAP TROUGH ALONG WHICH A LAP IS FED TO A PAIR OF OPPOSED CALENDAR ROLLS, SAID LAP GUIDE COMPRISING FLAT MOUNTING PLATES ADJACENT THE EDGES OF SAID LAP, EACH MOUNTING PLATE HAVING A FLAT LAP DIRECTING FLANGE INTEGRALLY JOINED THERETO ALONG A COMMON EDGE DEFINING THE FRONT EDGE OF SAID MOUNTING PLATE AND THE REAR EDGE OF SAID LAP DIRECTING FLANGE, SAID LAP DIRECTING FLANGES BEING ANGLED SLIGHTLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID MOUNTING PLATES, SAID MOUNTING PLATES BEING PROVIDED WITH MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLY SECURING SAID MOUNTING PLATES TO THE INSIDE SURFACE OF THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID TROUGH, SAID MEANS PERMITTING SAID MOUNTING PLATES TO BE ADJUSTABLY POSITIONED INTO VARIOUS POSITIONS ALONG SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID LAP DIRECTING FLANGES BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO PROJECT ALONG THE END OF SAID WALLS OF SAID TROUGH AND BEING ADAPTED TO DIRECT SAID EDGES OF SAID LAP LATERALLY INWARDLY OF THE AXIS OF SAID TROUGH WHEN SAID LAP PASSES THEREBY WHILE MAINTAINING A SINGLE LAYER OF SAID LAP, EACH OF SAID LAP DIRECTING FLANGES HAVING A PAIR OF ARCUATE CONCAVE FRONT EDGES, ONE ABOVE THE OTHER, WHICH APPROACH EACH OTHER TOWARD THE FORWARDMOST PORTION OF SAID LAP DIRECTING FLANGE AND FORM A CUSP, ONE OF SAID FRONT EDGES HAVING A CURVATURE CORRESPONDING TO THE PERIPHERY OF ONE OF SAID CALENDER ROLLS AND LYING CLOSELY ADJACENT THERETO, THE OTHER FRONT EDGE HAVING A CURVATURE CORRESPONDING TO THE PERIPHERY OF THE OTHER OF SAID CALENDER ROLLS AND LYING CLOSELY ADJACENT THERETO. 